Chesty Puller
I Can’t Hear You Over The Clanking Of My Five Navy Crosses
Chesty Puller, a guy every Marine knows of, but not many outside the Corps has heard of. His given name is Lewis Burwell Puller, but Marines know him as “Chesty Puller” or just “Chesty.” So, who is this man you ask? That’s simple – just the greatest legend in Marine history, a history filled with legends.
Chesty came from humble beginnings. He was born on June 26, 1898, in West Point, Virginia. His father died when Chesty was 10 and his mother raised him. Not sure what magic she used, but she raised him not only to be a man’s man, but also a Marine’s Marine.
After graduating high school, he attended Virginia Military Institute for a bit but left to join the Marines and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1919. Alas, with the end of WW I the Marines began drawing down and Chesty was transferred to the Marine Reserves, which he wasn’t happy about. So, he resigned his commission and enlisted in the Marines, then got assigned as a lieutenant in the Haitian Gendarmerie – units made up of Haitian locals with Marines serving as officers. After five years fighting Cacos guerrillas in Haiti he was again commissioned a Lieutenant of Marines.
In 1924 Chesty returned to the States, and in 1926 he was assigned to flight school – which he promptly flunked out of. What must have seemed like a setback turned out to be a blessing for the Corps.
In 1928 Puller deployed to Nicaragua to fight rebels attempting to overthrow the government of President Adolfo Díaz. After a year and a half of staff duty, Chesty was given command of a Guardia Nacional unit and began to make his mark. Over the next three years he aggressively pursued and engaged the rebels in numerous battles. The last battle Chesty fought in Nicaragua occurred five days before the end of the U.S. intervention – he led a Guardia unit in one of the biggest victories of the conflict.
During his time in Nicaragua, Chesty was awarded the first two of his five Navy Crosses (the second highest award for bravery), earned a reputation as fearless, and was nicknamed “Chesty.” There are a lot of stories on how Chesty got his nickname, but no one, not even Chesty really knows.
Chesty’s next stop was China where he served with the 4th Marines and the Marine detachment aboard the USS Augusta of the Asiatic Fleet. In August 1941 he was ordered back to the States where he took command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (1/7) in September – 3 months before Pearl Harbor. While training 1/7 Chesty attended a flame thrower demonstration, after which he asked, “where the hell do you put the bayonet?” Guess he figured there might be a need to stab the enemy after setting them on fire.
As Commanding Officer of 1/7, Puller fought on Guadalcanal in 1942. At one point, 1/7 was ordered to defend Henderson Field – the only airfield on Guadalcanal and vital to its defense – you guessed it, they were attacked. In the ensuing battle 1/7 held the line against two regiments of combat hardened Japanese troops. Though this was the most noteworthy battle 1/7 fought during its time on Guadalcanal, it was far from the only one. In just over eight weeks of combat the officers of 1/7 suffered 50% casualties, including Chesty who was wounded. Enlisted casualties were almost 30%.
Puller was awarded his third Navy Cross and the Purple Heart during this campaign.
After Guadalcanal Chesty would fight in the Eastern New Guinea, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu campaigns. He would be awarded his fourth Navy Cross while fighting on Cape Gloucester.
During WW II Chesty’s fierce loyalty to his Marines became legendary. In the field he lived with his men and he and his officers were last in the cow line. He refused comforts his men didn’t have, carried his own pack, and was always at the head of the battalion column. During a 28-day combat patrol through New Britain, he refused to allow native bearers to carry his pack, ate “K” rations, and slept on the bare floor of abandoned native huts – just as his men did.
With the end of WW II, the nation enjoyed piece…until the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950. As a result, the 1st Marine Division had to be hastily restored to a combat footing, and Major General O.P. Smith handpicked then Colonel Puller to command the 1st Marines, 1st Marines Division. Less than three months later Chesty led his old regiment in the amphibious assault on Inchon (September 15, 1950) and in vicious street fighting in Seoul (September 25–27, 1950). Though these were fierce battles, the one that would become iconic in Corps lore was Chosin Reservoir (November–December 1950) where the Chinese 9th Army consisting of 12 Divisions and 120,000 troops surrounded the 1st Marine Division. During this battle, Puller remarked to a worried Army officer: “We’ve been looking for the enemy for some time now. We’ve finally found him. We’re surrounded. That simplifies things.”
The Marines with an estimated 670 Army survivors from the decimated 31st Regimental Combat team fought their way out and were evacuated by sea. Our losses were about 6,000 died and missing and thousands more wounded. Chinese casualties are estimated at about 50,000 including Chairman Mao’s eldest son.
During the Korean War Chesty would be awarded his fifth Navy Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Cross (the Army’s equivalent of the Navy Cross), a Silver Star (third highest award for valor), and three Air Medals for observation and reconnaissance flights he insisted on taking. I can’t say that no other non-aviation person has ever been awarded an Air Medal, but I’ve never heard of one.
Puller was a harsh critic on how the Korean War was being conducted in general, and the poor combat training of some Army units in particular. Upon his return to the States, Chesty, being Chesty spoke his mind to reporters. One of the articles written about his remarks correctly characterized them as a “savagely realistic message, full of bitterness for what has already happened in Korea and full of grave apprehension for the future.” Despite his outspoken honesty, Chesty was promoted to Major General (2 stars) and given command of the 2nd Marine Division in 1954. During this tour Chesty suffered a stroke and was forced to retire in October 1955 with the rank of Lieutenant General.
Chesty Puller died on October 11, 1971, and is buried in a family plot at Christi’s Church Cemetery, Middlesex County, Virginia.
In his 37 years as a Marine Chesty Puller rose from a private to a Lieutenant General and fought in: Haiti against guerrillas; Nicaragua against rebels; Four World War II campaigns against the Japanese (Guadalcanal, Eastern New Guinea, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu); and Korea against the Chinese and North Koreans, (including Inchon, Seoul, and Chosin Reservoir). He is the most decorated Marine in history with an astonishing five Navy Crosses – more than any other Marine in Corps history – the Army Distinguished Service Cross, and the Silver Star. And he became a Legend among Legends loved by his men.
Many believe the only reason Chesty didn’t receive the Medal of Honor is he irked too many senior people with his frank and honest speaking. I have no doubt that living his principles and having the loyalty of his men was far more important to Chesty than having the honor of being awarded our nation’s highest award for bravery – the Medal of Honor.
Chesty has been described as “hard as the frontal armor of a tank…and scornful of anyone or anything that did not wear the eagle, globe, and anchor.” No doubt about it, Chesty was a bonafide badass with scars to prove it. But this badass had two soft spot – first was his fierce loyalty and care for his men; second was his love for his family. Keep this man in your heart and on your mind, he gave greatly to ensure the security of our nation.
“Good night, Chesty, wherever you are.” – If you know you know, if you don’t know, ask a Marine.
Epilogue:
Chesty’s son Lewis Puller, Jr., became a Marine infantry officer and suffered horrendous wounds in 1968 from a booby trap in Vietnam. He lost one leg below the knee, the other at the hip, and most of his fingers. After spending several years in hospitals recovering from his wounds, Lewis Puller graduated from law school and started a career as a lawyer with the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense.
In 1991 he published his autobiography, Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet, in which he wrote lovingly and affectionately of his father. Lewis Puller considered himself a fortunate son because he both admired and loved his father. The book received the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for biography/autobiography.
Lewis Puller seemed to be a Vietnam Veteran success story, but he hid his demons all too well. On May 11, 1994, after years of fighting depression and PTSD, Lewis B. Puller, Jr., just forty-eight years old, committed suicide.
Lewis said he only saw his father cry twice – once when he left for Vietnam and once when his father visited him in the hospital. If Chesty would have lived until May 11, 1994, he would have cried a third time.
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Great story about a great man. Thanks for sharing.